Our Local Attractions

Places of Interest

Local Attractions

Batsford Arboretum, one of the jewels of the Cotswolds and one of the largest private collections of trees and shrubs in the Country.

The Beaufort Polo Club is the foremost centre for the development of polo in the Cotswolds. Home to the famous Tomlinson polo dynasty you can always be assured of watching or playing polo of the highest quality at every level from 2 to 20 goal.

Founded in 1975, Beckford Silk is first and foremost a manufacturing company. Designing, printing and making scarves and ties for heritage outlets and corporate customers and offering a complete manufacturing service from design development to packaging.

Bibury Trout Farm is a working trout farm and is one of Britain's oldest trout farms. Bibury Trout Farm was founded in 1902, by the naturalist Arthur Severn, to stock the local rivers and streams with the native Brown Trout. The trout farm now covers 15 acres in Bibury.

Cheltenham Racecourse. The racecourse is best known for the National Hunt Festival held in March each year, and includes races such as the Gold Cup and Champion hurdle.

The Cotswold Farm Park was established in 1971 as the very first of its kind and was voted Farm Park of the Year 2003. It has since been much imitated and continues to be very popular with animal lovers and children.

Cotswold Wildlife Park is set in 160 acres of parkland and gardens around a listed Victorian Manor House and has been open to the public since 1970. The Park is home to a fascinating collection of mammals, birds, reptiles and invertebrates.

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway runs along a part of the former Great Western Railway's mainline from Birmingham to Cheltenham. The line commands wonderful views of the sleepy hamlets and villages, as it runs though the beautiful Cotswold countryside.

Pitville Pump Rooms and Park, Cheltenham's finest Regency building was completed in 1830 as the centrepiece for Joseph Pitt's Pittville estate. Located at the North end of Pittville Park, visitors can still sample the famous spa waters and take a tour of the fabulous grounds.

Prescott Hillclimb is tucked away amidst the still quite unspoiled Cotswold countryside. Here visitors can view the green hills around or watch competing cars from a number of advantageous points all in a spacious 'confine'.

Rob Ireland Activity Days. Established in 1990 by ex English Sporting Champion and former International shot, Rob Ireland. Rob Ireland's activity days have become firm favourites with many of the UK's leading companies along with hundreds of individuals and groups.

Snowshill Lavender. Lavender has thrived on the gentle free draining limestone hills. At 1000 feet above sea level the combination of soil type, altitude and climate produce ideal growing conditions for the finest English essential oils. With 53 acres of lavender, 250,000 plants and 70 miles of rows.

The National Arboretum. Westonbirt, The National Arboretum is one of the most spectacular tree gardens in the world. An historical collection of over 3,000 different trees and shrubs. Covering six hundred acres, the Arboretum is an inspiring place to relax, get back to nature and indulge your senses.

Wellington Aviation Museum is a small independent museum based in Moreton-in-Marsh, England, which serves to remember the hundreds of trainee pilots who passed through its gates.

The Badminton Horse Trials is a three-day event which takes place in May each year in the park of Badminton House, the seat of the Dukes of Beaufort.

Manors & Gardens

Abbey House Gardens, nestled beside old Malmesbury Abbey in this lovely Wiltshire Cotswold location just 5 miles from M4 J17. Park easily in the Long-stay car park to stay all day with refreshments available.

Blenheim Palace, home to the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, offers a memorable day out. Set in 2100 acres of beautiful parkland, Blenheim Palace is surrounded by sweeping lawns, formal gardens.

Bourton House Garden will re-open to the general public from 10am to 5pm every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from June to September. Groups may visit between May and October but advance booking is essential.

At Buscot Park you will find exqusite gardens, including the spectacular Water Garden designed by Harold Peto and the Four Seasons Walled Garden created by the present Lord Faringdon. The House is also home to the Faringdon Collection.

Cerney House Gardens. Leave the hustle and bustle of today's world and visit Cerney House Gardens, where time seems to stand still. Let old-fashioned scents and colour surround you in this romantic secret garden. Explore the working organic kitchen garden amongst the overflowing borders.

Charlecote Park. Shakespeare was rumoured to be caught poaching on the estate. 700 years of the Lucy family, with a uniquely extensive portrait collection. Colourful landscaped gardens by the River Avon. Great walking and picnic opportunities in the 'Capability' Brown deer park.

Chastleton House. A unique 400-year-old time capsule. Rare tapestries, portraits and personal belongings. Classic Elizabethan topiary garden. Lawn where the rules of modern croquet were laid down. Idyllic Cotswolds setting, next to a 12th-century parish church. Entrance by ticket only.

Chavenage House is an Elizabethan era manor house situated 1.5 miles northwest of Tetbury, in the Cotswolds area of Gloucestershire. Chavenage offers personal tours, usually conducted by the owner, David Lowsley-Williams.

Daylesford Organic. Specialising in organic, fresh, seasonal and local produce; vegetables, fresh from the kitchen garden; award-winning handmade cheeses from the Creamery; breads, pastries, cakes and biscuits from the Bakery; fresh meat and farm shop.

Hidcote Manor Gardens. This garden is internationally renowned and is a series of smaller gardens each with its own theme. One of the most inventive and influential gardens of the 20th century. Located near the village of Hidcote Bartrim not far from Chipping Campden.

Highgrove House & Garden near Tetbury in Gloucestershire is the family home of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. The Duchy of Cornwall owns Highgrove, and bought the house, garden and nearby farmland now known as Duchy Home Farm in 1980.

Kelmscott Manor, a grade 1 Listed Tudor farmhouse adjacent to the River Thames, was built in the late 1500s. The Manor is built of local limestone on the edge of the village of Kelmscott. The house contains an outstanding collection of the possessions and works of William Morris.

Kiftsgate Court Gardens is a series of interconnecting gardens each with its distinct character and secrets. Let them share their secrets with you.

Mill Dene Garden. Mill Dene is a private garden created by the Dares for their family. There are plenty of seats from which to enjoy the mill pond and its kingfishers. Beautiful views and an air of tranquility and peace and history.

Painswick Rococo Garden. Stroll, sit, relax and drink up the atmosphere as you step back in time to the early 18th century. Set in a hidden Cotswold valley, this is a magical garden at any time of year.

Sezincote House & Garden. Sezincote (pronounced See-zin-kt) is a unique and extraordinary Indian house set amidst the Cotswold Hills. Built in 1810 by Charles Cockerell, who had worked in India, there is a central dome, peacock tail windows and pavilions. Sezincote was the inspiration for the Brighton Pavilion.

Snowshill Manor. Once described as 'a house for the evening hours, surely the loveliest spell of the day', Snowshill Manor is a typical, traditional Cotswold house, built of golden yellow local stone and set on a hillside above the Vale of Evesham.

Stanway House & Fountain. Stanway is an outstandingly beautiful example of a Jacobean manor house, owned by Tewkesbury Abbey for 800 years then for 500 years by the Tracy family and their descendants, the Earls of Wemyss.

Upton House & Garden. Join the guests of Lord and Lady Bearsted and experience the weekend house party of a 1930s millionaire. Surrounded by the internationally important art and porcelain collections, hear and discover more about family life and join in the atmosphere in Gloucestershire, England.

Heritage

The Avon Valley Railway is more than just a train ride, offering a whole new experience for some or a nostalgic memory for others.

Belas Knap is certainly one of the favourite burial mounds. It's a bit of a hike to get there but well worth the effort. If you're lucky and you get the site to yourself, maybe towards dusk, then it can be magical.

Berkeley Castle has been lived in by the same family for over 900 years. It is where history has been made. Where Edward II was murdered, where the Barons of the West gathered before Magna Carta and where Queen Elizabeth I hunted and played bowls.

Broadway Tower is one of England's outstanding viewpoints and is the second highest point on the Cotswold Ridge. There is an eighteenth century Gothic folly from which it is possible to survey an area which includes as many as thirteen counties.

Corinium Museum. Home to one of the largest collections of Romano-British antiquities in the country. Corinium, Roman Cirencester, was the second largest town in Roman Britain. Experience life as a Roman. Marvel at the stunning mosaics. Visit a Roman Garden.

Gloucester Cathedral. One of the finest cathedrals in England and rated as one of the most beautiful in the world - Gloucester Cathedral is one of the architectural jewels of the city of Gloucester. The magnificent 900 year old Norman Cathedral lies at the heart of the city.

Hailes Abbey enjoys a beautiful setting on the western fringe of the Cotswolds surrounded by wooded pasture. The museum displays include some fine examples of medieval sculpture and decorated floor tiles.

Roman Villa. The remains of one of the largest Roman villas in the country provide a fascinating insight into 4th-century Roman Britain. The site was discovered in 1864 on the Earl of Eldon's estate by a local gamekeeper, and subsequently excavated by his estate workers.

Warwick Castle is a medieval castle in Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire. It sits on a bend on the River Avon. The castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068 within or adjacent to the Anglo-Saxon burg of Warwick.

Walks & Tours

Cycle Hire Cotswolds. Come and discover the hidden Cotswolds, Shakespeare Country and Oxford by bicycle!

Golf

Cirencester Golf Club. The Golf Club offers a traditional welcoming atmosphere and a picturesque and interesting course kept in wonderful condition throughout the year. Many of the holes are virtually unchanged from James Braids original design and offer wonderful views over the surrounding countryside.

Naunton Downs Golf Course. Naunton Downs is an 18 hole, par 71 course, which is situated in an area of outstanding Cotswold countryside. The course was designed keeping the natural features and landscape in mind, and offers a challenge to suit golfers of all ages and abilities.

Local & National Transport Sites

The Trainline is a great site for finding train times and ordering tickets for delivery or collection.

The National Rail site is the official timetable and ticket site for all your rail transport needs.

Hertz Rent-a-Car has provided quality car hire service for over 90 years, with a branch in Stratford-Upon-Avon (16 miles).

Avis Care Hire is a popular car hire company running since 1946 with the nearest branch at Oxford train station (30 miles).

Directions. This link will take you straight to Google maps prompting your address in order to provide directions to the Hotel.

Nationwide Hire UK has an expansive collection of cars and vehicles available Nationwide, they specialise in the supply of quality vehicle rental for private and commercial hire.

Tourist Information

Visit Cotswolds. The Cotswolds area is one of England's favourite destinations; famous for hundreds of honey-colour limestone villages in a beautiful rural setting. Visit the Official Guide to the Cotswolds website.

Visit Britain. The official travel guide to Britain web site by the British Tourist Authority.